Reminiscence and Retribution
by beatlesfan931
Summary: Several years after the close of the Inaba murder case, the Investigation Team members are drawn into another mystery with deadly consequences. With loved ones in danger and memories of the past coming back to haunt them, they must move quickly in order to combat this new threat.
1. Nanako: How it All Began

**Author's Notes: Greetings! I suppose I should first start off by saying that it's been quite a while since I've made this serious of an attempt at writing fan fiction, especially a piece as large and dramatic as this one. I hope this little experiment works: a first-person **_**Persona **_**fic told from multiple perspectives (one per chapter) that takes place several years in the future while also inserting flashbacks depicting their interpretation of the events of Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4 Arena. A mouthful, I know, but I want to dispel any confusion right here and now. With that in mind, as much as I highly encourage honest and thoughtful critique of my work, please be understanding if characterizations seem a bit off from what you are used to...after all, time changes all things, and it may not have been kind to everyone involved.**

**Now, let's get some important legal info out of the way: I do not own **_**Shin Megami Tensei Persona**_**. **_**Persona**_** is property of Atlus, and I am eternally grateful to them for bringing it to us, the fans.**

**I am giving this story an M rating for the following reasons: language, violence, and some sexual themes/content. If any of this offends you, please be forewarned that this story may not be for you.**

**And with that, time to get underway! I've been tossing this idea around for almost a year at this point and it's evolved almost every day since, so I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, reviews are always appreciated!**

* * *

_**November 5, 2011**_

"_Um, the answer's, uh...the Edo period!"_

"_That's right!" Bells and whistles sounded and lights flashed as the contestant jumped up and down excitedly._

_I yawned loudly just as I realized how tough it was to keep my eyes open. The pitter-patter of the rain was almost enough to put me to sleep in spite of the excitement occurring in the game show. I rubbed one eye while directing the other to a display on the lower-right corner of the buzzing TV screen; 11:10 PM. Huh, maybe it's not so surprising that I'm this tired...Good thing there's no school tomorrow or Dad would get mad at me._

_Speaking of which...Dad and Big Bro are taking an awfully long time coming back home after going to the police station so suddenly. Big Bro promised he wouldn't be gone long so I'm sure they'll be back soon, but he would probably scold me too if he showed up and saw that I was still awake this late._

_Groaning slightly, I turned the TV off and pushed myself up. I stretched in place before making my way to my room, until-_

_DING DONG! The doorbell. And someone shouting, "Hello? Delivery for the Dojimas!"_

"_Delivery?" I mumbled. Late though it was, I saw no harm in bringing the package into the house before going to bed. I shuffled over to the door and opened it a crack. Looked like the usual delivery man; I knew I had nothing to worry about as I opened the door wider._

* * *

**Late August, 2020**

Opening the door and rushing into the house with a huff, I immediately shook the drops from my umbrella and kicked off my shoes. Rain...what a damn fine way to end the summer vacation...Hopefully the last few days before it ends won't be so gloomy and wet. Clearly the weather was kicking me while I was down, reminding me that I would soon be returning to the hell that is Yasogami High.

"I'm home," I shouted, holding my breath and hoping that I would receive no answer. I let out a sigh as there was no response. Dealing with that man was somewhere between "studying" and "jumping off a cliff" on my list of things I wanted to do at that exact moment.

Before I knew it, I found myself walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge; some eggs, some leftover noodles, some milk, some vegetables...not exactly the most inspiring culinary array, I know. Guess I'll have to go shopping soon, because God knows Dad isn't gonna do it.

I grabbed the eggs and the noodles and set to work whipping up dinner. Figuring this would be the best balance of easy and satisfying for one person, I started humming to myself as I rummaged through the shelves for a frying pan.

I'm not really sure why, but I wondered just then what my cousin Yu was up to. Maybe it's the fact that he taught me pretty much everything I know about cooking, I don't know...Hey, don't get me wrong, he can be just as annoying as my Dad when it comes to telling me what to do, but at least he was pretty useful in that sense. I chuckled as the egg started to fry and the noodles were being heated in the microwave. "_Wouldn't be surprised if he's banging that hot piece of ass right about now,_" I thought.

I leaned against the table while waiting for my food to cook. Good Lord, why does this always have to take so long!? My finger went up to my ear and started rubbing up and down all along it, hitting the bumps of multiple earrings along the way. Yes, Sherlock, those were mostly new piercings, new enough that I was still in the habit of playing with the jewelry that I deemed worthy to fill those holes. My mind wandered again to "Big Bro" (as I used to call him) and my guess as to what he was currently doing, and I couldn't help but giggle. Filling holes, indeed.

Finally, the microwave beeped in its uniquely annoying way of telling me my food was done being nuked. I opened the door and carefully removed the bowl, set it on the counter, and scraped the egg from the pan to the bowl. Bon appetit!

More or less barely conscious walking from the kitchen to the living room, I soon found myself sitting on the couch and staring blankly at a flat screen TV perched on a modest entertainment center. Sure, this thing could do a decent job of displaying more colors and sharper resolution or whatever whenever it was running; nothing too fancy, mind you, but certainly a step up from the old hunk of junk we had before. But for some reason, I felt myself drawn further and further into the darkness of the empty screen; an imperfect reflection of myself stared back, as if daring me to reach out and touch her. The blackness seemed to stretch out for miles and miles, and I remembered when we first brought my electronic friend here into our home...

* * *

It was...oh, I guess, about two years ago. Dad had wanted to mount the TV on the wall, and as usual he stubbornly refused to let the people who actually knew what they were doing help him. "Get out of here, I'm sure there's some old lady or something that actually needs your help with this," I remember him saying after they had insisted for the millionth time on staying behind. The two guys who had delivered the TV and the mounting equipment shrugged at each other and left. "Now then," he continued. "Time for your old man to show you he's still useful!" He opened the box and started pulling pieces out, mumbling confused obscenities as he turned the instructions every which way and compared the diagrams to the physical contents.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You should've asked for their help. There's no shame in that." I walked over and peered into the box. There were some plates, some poles, some wires, a ton of screws...I may not be much of an expert on this sort of thing, but it was clearly not a one-person job if you were as clueless as my father. "Want me to give you a hand?"

"No, it's fine, Nanako." Dad mustered a quick smile before resuming his groans and nearly indiscernible curses. "Let's see, this part goes there, and if I screw this in here..."

Stubborn old fool. I knew why he was doing this. He would complain about it literally every day after coming home from work. Another "young upstart" had refused his assistance or his advice because he was "just an old man" and "old men should just mind their own damn business." More often than not I could smell the sake off of him from the other room when he went on one of his tirades. It's a good thing Chie's been there to believe in him and defend him against these guys, because if she wasn't I don't wanna think about how Dad would react.

Ten minutes later, Dad wiped the dust from his hands and took a step back to take a good look at his completed project. "There! Ain't she a beaut?" he stated proudly.

"Um, sure...I guess," was my less than enthusiastic response. Truth be told, though, I couldn't wait to watch my favorite shows on this thing. The old TV had practically raised me; it certainly spent more quality time with me than my Dad did. I knew I would be looking forward to daily bonding sessions with its successor before long.

"Told ya, sweetheart! I told you I could get this thing set up all on my own."

Looking at it a little more objectively, I could see that it was slowly leaning forward and creaking ever so softly. "Um, Dad?"

"Not now, Nanako, Daddy's admiring his handiwork and thinking about how great the baseball games are going to look on this!" As if punishing him for his arrogance, there was a sudden loud snap and the TV, as well as the wall mount, came tumbling down, crashing into his legs and feet along the way.

Needless to say, there was much screaming and cursing as he lifted the obstruction off of himself. "God damn son of a bitch, piece of shit...GRRRRRRR!"

Me? I just laughed. I could hardly contain myself and just doubled over with glee. Funniest thing I had seen in ages, I swear.

Dad hobbled over to the couch and glared at me, so I stopped laughing (I resorted to snorting to myself instead) and apologized. "Fine, we'll do it your way," he groaned. "We'll just set up an entertainment center with enough room for the TV. Now I wonder if we can still return all the old crap..."

* * *

Back in the real world...I was lounging on the couch after one lackluster meal and a boring-as-hell movie about the legends of Izanagi and Izanami, wondering if I would finally stop being lazy long enough to change the channel. As the credits rolled, I decided it would be best if I just turned the TV off. My eyelids were getting heavy, and they always say that you're not supposed to watch TV if you're tired. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and pushed a button, lighting up the screen with a picture of me and my friend Mai, and looked at the time up top just as it changed to 11:59 PM. "_Boy, I'm getting weak, getting tired this early. That, or the movie was even worse than I thought._"

I pushed myself up and let out an exaggerated huff. The rain was still pounding; maybe that was the reason I was so exhausted. Still, the rebel in me wasn't willing to call it a night just yet, so I started dialing Mai's number on my phone.

My efforts were immediately cut short when I saw light shining out from the TV and heard the crackle of static. What the hell? I could've sworn I turned it off...

The screen looked like it was covered in salt and pepper for a moment before an image came into focus. Still, even calling it a decent image would have been a bit of a stretch by modern standards; it was a sepia tone, like an old photograph, and seemed to be...almost muddy, it was so difficult to make out any details. Come to think of it, it looked a lot like those mornings when it would get so foggy you couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you...Still, what I did see was enough for me to gasp in shock.

"M-Mom!?" I blinked several times and rubbed my eyes. No way...I hadn't been drinking recently and I wasn't THAT tired, so I'm sure I wasn't imagining things. I even pinched myself and let out a hiss when a painful sensation ran up my arm. Yup, definitely not dreaming. But what the hell was my long dead mother doing on TV all of a sudden!?

"Nanako-chan..." It spoke...er, she spoke! The Mom in the TV spoke to me!

Needless to say I was more than a little surprised. Not only did she mention my name specifically, but she looked and sounded exactly as I remembered her...She spoke with the same soft, feminine voice and gave me the same smile that used to always give me warm fuzzies inside. Thoughts of her playing with me next to the Samegawa River, putting my hair into pigtails, and kissing bruises on my knees suddenly flooded back into my memory.

This was some trick...I mean, it couldn't really be her, right? If it was, why would she have made a video like this in the first place? And why did it suddenly start playing on our TV like that? I had these and a million other questions running through my mind when she nodded directly at me (HOW DID SHE KNOW WHERE I WOULD BE STANDING!?), turned around, and started walking into the emptiness that was the background. "W-Wait! Mom, wait up!" I shouted, apparently going insane. I mean, I was screaming at a possessed TV, for God's sake!

Instinctively, I started running towards her, towards the TV. I must have realized the stupidity of my actions no more than a couple seconds later, because I skidded to a halt and reached out towards the TV to stop myself and hopefully prevent another television-related injury in this house. What happened next startled me so much, I froze completely.

My hand...My hand was INSIDE THE TV! "_What the HELL kind of bullshit is this!?_" my panicked mind shouted. The sepia background, and my mom's diminishing figure, vanished completely from the TV screen, replaced with the usual blackness, and ripples radiating outward from my wrist. Yes, there was movement on the screen as if I had dipped my hand into a lake over and over again, though I'm positive every one of my extremities was completely still. I could feel a bit of a pull from inside the TV; I'm sure if I wasn't resisting I would have been sucked in before too long.

I'm not really sure how long I stood there before I snapped out of my stupor and pulled my hand out with a yelp. Breathing heavily and wondering if the food I ate was laced with something, I tried my best to make sense of what had just happened. It was definitely too elaborate of a prank to be the type of thing that Mai and Miwa would be capable of...and there's no way they'd be able to recreate my mom's mannerisms and likeness so perfectly from the little bit I'd told them about her. Same goes for most of my guy friends, except it would be even more difficult for them. As for Dad...well, if he could ever stop being a total ass long enough, I guess he would be able to make the video somehow by editing old footage together or something. But why? As punishment? Even if that was the case, I can't see how he or anyone else would be able to make it so I could stick my hand through the TV screen like that.

I cautiously inched towards the TV screen and reached a shaking hand out. Brushing my fingers along the screen, the ripples formed once more and I felt the sensation of being pulled in...No, it wasn't just the force on the other side. My own desire drove me forward. I had to keep going, had to try and get to the bottom of this by seeing just what was on the other side. First my arm...Then my head...A leg...And finally my whole body.

* * *

**Author's Notes: More to come soon! Hopefully it's at least somewhat interesting so far. Please read and review, I crave honest feedback; loved it, liked it, didn't care for it, hated it, wanna throw me off a cliff, whatever you thought, I want to hear from you!**

**Until next time!**


	2. Yu: Why I Love Her

**Author's Notes: Just a quick one here, to state that **_**Katamari Damacy**_** is not owned by me, it is owned by Namco. Figured I should mention this since there is a brief reference to it in the chapter.**

* * *

"_Why are you always with me?"_

_Was this even a serious question? Could she really be so uncertain? After all we've been through...The shopping trips, taste testing the concoctions she had hoped to call food, helping her sort through her feelings on the inn and Inaba as a whole...Was there really still any doubt in her mind?_

"_I-Is it okay...for me to ask?" she continued, looking at me pleadingly. No way out of it, I had to give an answer, and fast._

"_Uh, well..." I rubbed the back of my neck. Geez, I figured I would have to do this some day, but I had no idea it would be this hard. Staring into her eyes, though...I knew this was right. "I...really like you." Apparently, knowing the moment was right didn't help with the confession itself; I practically spat it out, hopefully saying it more than spraying it, and took in a short breath as I waited for a response._

_Yukiko's mouth hung open as she blinked. And blinked. And blinked some more. "Y-You like...m-me?" she finally asked. I gave a quick nod. "Umm...I-I feel the same way, so..."_

_No more had to be said. I let out a sigh as I was surely grinning like an idiot; true, there was a certain amount of pride that came with being the first man to conquer the Amagi Challenge, true, but that was microscopic compared to how much my feelings for Yukiko as a person grew over these last few months. Just seeing her standing there, smiling innocently and blushing (my God, I've never seen someone look so cute when they blushed), I couldn't help but feel invincible right then and there._

"_Umm..Stay here with me...just a little longer..." It almost sounded like she was running out of breath as she said it, but her heartfelt whisper and begging eyes only served to intensify my feelings for her._

"_It would be my pleasure," I replied with a nod. And I meant every word._

* * *

"All right, awesome! I can't wait to bring the whole gang back together after so long! It's a shame things haven't worked out schedule-wise before now, but it looks like we're finally getting our little reunion."

"Yeah." My eyes scanned the email thread the seven of us had been using to plan this long overdue get-together. "Sounds like Rise could really use a vacation, and Naoto's always eager for any excuse to come back here, of course. And like I said, Chie's been working her ass off for my uncle and the rest of the department for a while now. It's a good thing she was able to negotiate a couple of days off for this."

"They're keeping her busy, huh?"

"You'd better believe it. You know how depressed Nanako would get with her dad leaving her home alone all the time? I think Yukiko's starting to feel the same way because of Chie," I said with a smirk.

I could see Yosuke give his trademark perverted grin on the video feed. "Come on, man, don't tell me you're leaving Yukiko wanting."

"Hey now, that's not any of your business!"

Yosuke laughed. "Even you've gotta admit, you left yourself wide open for that one, bro!" He glanced at his watch before looking back up at me. "Hey, my train's gonna be leaving in a few minutes so I'm gonna hang up. It's a long ass trip, hopefully I can catch some shut-eye on the way there."

I nodded. "Let me know when you get here, all right? See you tomorrow." After a rushed "see ya" in response, Yosuke's face on my phone was replaced by a banner declaring the video chat had ended. I removed the phone from its cradle and stood up from my desk. Pausing for a moment to listen for footsteps outside the room and hearing none, I smiled and let myself out, closing the shoji behind me. Business had been booming here at the Amagi Inn, and there were always more than a few stuck up guests who had made it abundantly clear that they resented me (and, by extension, Yukiko) for claiming the nicest room in the place for ourselves.

"Oi! Narukami!"

And then there was this one. I took a deep breath and put on the most professional smile I could manage before turning around. "Tanaka-sama," I said with a bow. I clenched my teeth while my head was still down and hoped with all my might that he wouldn't notice. Sure, much of his hair had grayed significantly since I watched his home shopping program in high school, but I knew from the moment I met him in real life that he was every bit the snake he had appeared to be on TV. More and more, even that was proven to be too amicable of an assumption as he gave us a visit a dozen or so times in the last year. "How are you? Is there something I can help you with?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Tanaka said with his trademark evil grin. I swear, the Devil himself must look like this man. "Narukami, I'm not going to dance around the issue this time: It's time we joined forces to take Japan by storm! I guarantee, with an investment of only, oh, let's say...5 million yen, we can expand, modernize, advertise, and revitalize the service industry in Japan! We'll be rich, I tell you! You, you can be the handsome young face of the campaign, while I plot our course in the background."

Yukiko's saintly patience must have rubbed off on me; I didn't yet feel like strangling him. Still, I had to end this before it went any farther. "Tanaka-sama, please understand, I've already given our answer-"

"Wait, Narukami, wait!" He put both hands up to stop me. "I've heard the rumors, and even had the great fortune to inspect your living quarters."

"_Wow, that's not creepy at all,_" I thought.

"Clearly you have tasted the sweet nectar of life's great luxuries," he continued, clearly oblivious to just how close he was to getting permanently expelled from the property. "Don't let the fact that you are sleeping with the lovely young manager cloud your judgment. Think about it, please!"

I could feel myself getting red in the face. "T-Tanaka-sama, my personal life is none of your business!"

"Apologies! Apologies, Narukami!" Yeah, right, as if apologizing was gonna get him off the hook. "But please, when you're ready to do the right thing, just give me a call. Remember, it'll only cost you 5 million yen. Oh, and, er, 50% of the profits from..."

He may have mumbled the end of his sentence there, but I had heard more than enough. Finally, his true intentions surfaced and I had an out. "Ah. Well, let me make this absolutely clear, Tanaka-sama: We are not interested in your help expanding or modernizing the Amagi Inn brand, and it is absolutely not for sale."

"What!? Sale?" He chuckled heartily. Clearly fake. I'd bet good money this man has never laughed for real in his entire adult life. "I never said I wanted to buy the inn from you-"

"Even so, I figured I should remind you that we're not interested in selling it anyway." He scowled like a rabid dog baring its fangs as the corner of his mouth twitched, but I for one could hardly suppress my smile. I pulled out my cell phone and pretended to stare intently at the screen. "Well, Tanaka-sama, it was a pleasure speaking with you, like always, but I really must be going. I'm running late for a meeting, you see, and surely a man of your stature can understand how damning that can be if it becomes a habit. Please don't hesitate to let the staff know if you need anything," I said, perhaps a bit halfheartedly, as I turned to leave.

"Y-Yeah, I want a say in how this place is run!" he called out.

"Not for sale," I reminded him with a wave, not even bothering to turn my head back. Here's hoping none of the waitresses and maids wandering the area actually tried to help him with that request.

* * *

The smell of incense instantly overwhelmed me as I entered a room branching off of the lobby, trying my best not to be noticed by any guests. Yukiko always claimed incense helped her concentrate. That was fine with me; after all, her office wasn't even on the same floor as our bedroom, so I never had to deal with the constant risk of suffocating from it.

It was never the incense that took my breath away when I went in there, though. Even from behind, as she sat at her desk writing furiously in a ledger, her flowing black hair draped partially over her chair and looking as smooth as silk, I instantly felt relaxed just taking a moment to stare at her. Tanaka? Tanaka who? All that mattered to me was the woman in the room with me.

"Yu?" she inquired, not turning her head or slowing down at all. I hummed in response. It was highly unlikely that it could've been anyone else (she made it very clear to her employees that no one was to enter that room without announcing themselves and being invited in first), and yet she always had to confirm anyway. A part of me hoped that, just maybe, she finally realized the sound of her voice, no matter how brief, was enough to wash away all the world's stress.

A great number of people may claim they have the one most perfect lover. I always knew they were all lying, and now the proof was sitting right in front of me. Dark, flowing locks of hair that went down to the small of her back; skin as soft as Egyptian cotton; expressive gray eyes that always shone especially brightly during occasional moments of mischief; lovely pink lips forming an electrifying smile that would stop any man in his tracks...And that was just her appearance. She was also my toughest competition for achieving the top score on exams during my year at Yasogami High, and she always maintained a fun-loving and adventurous side of her personality around me, a feature that only continued to intrigued me the more I spent time with her. It's especially telling that I learned of her less savory traits in a way I'm sure no other man has learned about that side of his lover, and yet it only made me want to be with her more, to support her and protect her and stay by her side for all time. I could do no less, as far as I was concerned.

It's no wonder I had asked her to marry me with no hesitation whatsoever.

Situating myself right behind her, so close I could smell the conditioner from her perfectly combed hair even over the incense, my own hand wandered to her left, caressing the ring wrapped snugly around a slender finger. "Yu, I need that hand," she mumbled as she continued writing.

I smiled. She had slowed slightly at my touch; perhaps it would have been imperceptible to the average viewer, but I prided myself on always devoting 100% of my attention to every movement she made. "Come on, why not take a break?"

"No can do, my dear," she sang. "The end of the summer season is almost here, so unless you WANT me to stay behind while you go have fun with everyone else tomorrow, I'm afraid I'll just have to finish as much as I can before then..." Though I could tell she was deliberately trying to keep her face hidden from me, I could have sworn I saw her lips twitch into the slightest hint of a smile.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you, Yukiko. Everyone misses you and wants to see you again, too. Some more than others..." I lifted her hair and started planting kisses on the back of her ear and neck.

"Mmm, seriously, I can't..." she moaned, even as she leaned back against me and stopped her furious scribbling altogether. "So much...to do..."

I grinned. I knew this would work; I was getting to her. "Come on, beautiful...I'll help you finish up with plenty of time to spare." I started rubbing her shoulders and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can tell you're stressed, too..."

"I-I, I'm not...But...Mm, you can't...Oh, hell!" She put down her pen and spun to face me, yanking me down to her level by the shirt and kissing me with so much passion, one might think she was trying to eat the lips off my face.

I licked my lips as soon as hers released mine and grinned. "The sofa good with you?"

Yukiko blushed, one of the inadvertent things she could do to make herself even more beautiful than usual. "I-I told you to stop making fun of me for that...It was an honest misunderstanding and I was just a nervous schoolgirl in a boy's room for the first time."

"At least it's better than the whole 'hot stud' business, isn't it?" Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed pushing Yukiko's buttons, and there was plenty more where that came from.

"Oh, but I did score my hot stud in the end, didn't I?" She winked and stood up, smoothing out the front of the kimono she always wore for work before clearing her throat. "But yes, I think the sofa would be lovely."

Taking her hand, I led her around a coffee table and gently lowered her onto a dark brown faux leather couch normally reserved for important guests and business associates. I watched as Yukiko laid back, her chest heaving with excitement as she invited me with a coy smile and a wink. I couldn't resist any longer; I climbed onto the couch and straddled her across the waist, bending down to kiss her as one hand caressed her cheek and the other pushed into the sofa to keep my balance. It wasn't long before both of them started exploring the nooks and crannies her body.

"Easy, Yu...We can't let anyone hear—EEK!"

...My hand slipped. Well, maybe that's not entirely true, but it did find itself sliding down the front of her kimono and squeezing part of her breast.

"Toss me a bone here, Yukiko," I groaned. "It's been a rough day already...Tanaka was hounding me again..."

"Poor Yu..." she cooed, stroking my hair before stopping suddenly. "You...didn't enter into any sort of a business agreement with him behind my back, did you?"

"Of course not," I reassured her with a tender kiss. "I know this place means a lot to you, and me too, of course. I wouldn't make a decision like that lightly."

"Or ever," she said, suddenly looking very stern.

"I know, I know..." I laid on the couch facing her, and she rolled over to look me in the eye and make room. "How do you do it, anyway? How were you always so calm and capable, and able to handle stress so easily?"

"Darling...It's not as easy as you think." I watched as she propped herself up on her elbow and rubbed my arm. "You should have seen me before I met you...Well, actually, I guess I'm glad you didn't. Things would be okay if I could spend some time hanging out with Chie at school or the Shopping District on the weekends, but whenever I was forced to miss school so I could work here constantly, I was a wreck." She sighed and stared at the ceiling absently. "My parents and the rest of the staff were so supportive if I ever made a mistake, but really, getting a text or a phone call from Chie was what I looked forward to the most at the end of the day." She giggled and stared straight into my eyes; I could feel myself falling under her spell and couldn't help but smile back. "And then you came into my life and I started thinking more and more about you instead. How I could make you happy, and what I could do to make you notice me...You were, and still are, the one most responsible for my happiness and peace of mind."

"Well, you didn't have to try very hard to get me to notice you. Still, it does kind of make me wish we had been together longer."

Yukiko nodded. "I understand, but at the same time I have no regrets about the time we did spend together. You've always been there for me in a way no one else ever has. And I'm absolutely looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you."

There was a period of silence as I laid there, motionless apart from the ups and downs of my upper body as I breathed, in and out. I eventually scooted closer to Yukiko, wrapped an arm around her and kissed her. She rolled onto her back again and I followed. We continued our dance of the lips, legs, and hands, though quieter this time so as not to arouse suspicion from outside the room.

"Oh Yu, I l—Ah!"

What interrupted Yukiko was a series of beeps and nearly unintelligible chants...my phone. More specifically, it was the theme song of _Katamari Damacy_, one of the caller's favorite video games.

"It's Teddie," I groaned as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent the call straight to voicemail. "I bet he's just lonely," I continued as I placed the phone on the table. "Now then, where were we?"

Yukiko smiled. "Well, we were-" She had said only those three words before the same ringtone was heard. "You should just answer it," she conceded with a sigh. "He's gotten a little better at getting the hint after the first failed attempt, so it might actually be important this time."

"Fine, fine..." I picked up the phone and accepted the call. "Hello?"

"SENSEEEEEEIIIIIIIII!"

Teddie was loud enough to make Yukiko wince from at least a foot away. The ringing in my own ears was probably going to last a few days. "Teddie! How many times do I have to tell you not to scream like that over the phone!?"

"Sorry, but this is super important! You need to get to Junes right away! Bring Yuki-chan if you can!"

This was a little strange, to say the least...It had been a while since Teddie had sounded so desperate. I asked Yukiko if she heard him, and she nodded. "Teddie, I'm going to put you on speaker phone. Just...try to calm down and speak at a normal volume, okay? One second..." I pushed a button on the phone's display and set it down on the table again. "Okay, Teddie, go ahead. Yukiko and I are both here, so tell us what's going on, slowly."

"I already told you, Sensei, there's no time for that! Just come to Junes as soon as you can, and bring your weapons!"

"Weapons?" Yukiko asked with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, don't tell me we're going back into-"

"That's right! Sensei, Nana-chan's in the TV world again!"

"What!?" I instantly stood up; there's no way that could be right. "But...how? How did Nanako end up there!?"

"I'll meet you guys at the electronics section of Junes," Teddie continued, clearly unsure or unwilling to answer the question. "And I'll try to get a hold of Chie-chan and Kanji, too, so just hurry! Ooh, I can't bear-lieve this is happening again..." Even in a panic, Teddie just can't resist spouting a bear pun, it seems.

"Hey, Teddie," Yukiko called out. "I know this is important, but it's probably not a good idea to bother Chie right now." No response. "Teddie? Are you there?"

I picked up the phone. "He hung up." The fire was returning to Yukiko's eyes and I saw the same determination I had seen the last time this happened. We knew that we had no choice. Once again, it was up to us to set things right. "Let's go."


	3. Teddie: King of Junes

_It 's been a really great day; Nana-chan loves Junes, I love Nana-chan, and we're both happy. What more could a bear want? Well, I had heard that Yosuke and the others would be coming soon, so I guess things were bound to get even better! Speaking of which..._

"_Oh. Hi Nanako-chan, hi Teddie."_

_It's Chie-chan! And everyone else! This calls for all the charm this bear could muster. "Hey, greetings to you," I said with my trademark, naturally huge smile._

"_Greetings to you," Nanako repeated. So cute...Nana-chan's such a sweet girl. It's a shame Chie-chan and Yuki-chan already promised me I could score with them. I'm still not entirely sure what that means, but I bet it's an experience that would best be shared with Nana-chan, too! Oh, and we can't leave out Rise-chan and Nao-chan, either._

_I'd even go so far as to say things were bear-fect, even if all I got were blank stares when I mentioned it. Everybody grabbed a seat at the same table as me and Nana-chan before pulling out books and papers. "Why did everyone come here?" I asked. Nobody looked like they were here to have fun at all!_

"_Exam study group!" Yosuke replied with a sigh. "Times like these, I'm jealous of Teddie..."_

_Study? How grizzly...I would be jealous of me, too, if I was Yosuke. While Yuki-chan went on and on about trickonometric identities and the like, poor Chie-chan just looked frustrated and rubbed her forehead. I thought I would be helpful by giving her a shoulder massage while whispering sweet nothings in her ear, but she just growled like an angry mama bear and elbowed me in the side._

_It wasn't long before Kanji and Rise-chan started arguing about animal crackers (HOW CRUEL!) and Yosuke threw his hands up in defeat. I guess the study time was over. Fine by me, talking about fun stuff that didn't make my head hurt sounded like a better use of everyone's time anyway!_

_We had only been talking about non-study related items for a few minutes before Nana-chan brought something up: "Teddie said he doesn't know who he is. That's so weird."_

_Well, "weird" wouldn't be how I would describe it, but it was true: I didn't know anything about myself, or where I came from. I just...was. Kind of like the TV world as a whole, come to think of it. "My life on this side is really fun. But the more I feel that way the more I want to know who I really am..." I said woefully. "I've surfed the net, read manga, watched TV...I even went to a place called the 'libeary,' but I still can't find anything about me."_

"_Dude, I'd be surprised if you did," Yosuke retorted._

"_Still, I'm starting to get an idea...I lived in that other world. That world was my reality..." I tapped my chin, noticing that was what smart people on this side did whenever talking about smart things. "But now I have a feeling it was born from the minds of people on this side...And over in that place filled with Shadows, I think I was some sort of special being..."_

_We started throwing around the possibility of amnesia when Nana-chan spoke up again. "Hey...I think Teddie must be a king. I read in a story that a king was all alone inside a forest because of a bad guy's curse. Isn't that what happened to you, Teddie?"_

"_A king..." Ooh, sounds fancy! "Well! When you put it that way, it sounds about right..." I put on my most regal grin; now that I knew I was royalty, I had to start acting like it!_

_Kanji looked really tired and stared down at his feet. "Can we...not talk about Teddie being a king?"_

"_Teddie really was a king," I reminded them all happily. "There were all these other kings too, and we all-"_

"_Hey...He's talking about what happened at the club!" Chie-chan shouted. "Quiet, you! Not in front of Nanako-chan!"_

_Still...even if the others didn't want to admit it, I just knew Nana-chan was right on the nose. "Thanks, Nana-chan," I whispered to her with a smile, while most of the others tried to take her away so she could get something to drink. But I could never forget how great I felt after she gave me that wonderful clue._

* * *

"...Three...Two...One..." My hand hit the "Redial" button on the phone Nao-chan had given me before one of her long trips. I put it up to my ear and heard ringing on the other end once...twice...my heart sank as the third ring began, until I heard a click and a whispered "Hello?" come out of the top part.

"Chie-chan!" I shouted excitedly. "I finally got through to you! Listen, we-"

"Teddie! I knew it was you calling me over and over again like that! Stupid furball, don't you know I'm at work right now!?" I could almost hear her teeth gritting from here.

"B-B-B-B-But..." I whimpered in response. "Chie-chan, I need you to get to Junes right away!"

"Well, that ain't happening, Ted! I'm running around like a crazy person trying to get some respect and appreciation around here, and I was only able to pick up just now because I'm in a bathroom stall." Chie-chan sighed. "Don't tell me I can't even use the toilet in peace anymore..."

I sniffed. Chie-chan used to be so nice. "You're sure you can't come to Junes?"

"Absolutely not!" she hissed. "If there's an emergency there, have another employee dial 110. I'm hanging up now, don't call me again today, please!"

"Ch-Chie-chan!" No response. "CHIE-CHAN! NOOOOOOOOO!" Looking at the phone, it was obvious that Chie-chan had hung up. I could also see that it had been about 15 minutes since I talked to Sensei and Yuki-chan; they would be waiting in Junes soon, methinks. It's a good thing Kanji said he'd be able to make it or else Nana-chan would be in really big trouble!

"Ooh, this is almost unbearable...hee hee, I crack myself up!" Bear puns will never get old, no matter what Yosuke says! "Anyway, no time for hilarious jokes! I'd better get back to Junes before Sensei and the others show up." I poked my head through one of the old televisions in the stack I had made all those years ago as an exit out of the TV world, and then started wriggling to get the rest of me through. "Hrrgggghhh...Squeeeeeze...THERE!"

* * *

Over, under, over, under, over, under...The moment I had hit solid ground I started rolling forward uncontrollably. "H-Help!"

Like it or not, I stopped suddenly when I hit the shelf opposite the TV and a box containing one of those huge universal remote controls fell and bonked me on the noggin. I was seeing little bear cubs circle around my head when I heard a familiar voice that brought me back to reality. "Teddie! Are you okay?"

"Oh, Yuki-chan..." I stood up and shook myself off. "I'm A-OK now that you're here!"

"Glad to hear it." Sensei appeared from around the corner and put an arm around Yuki-chan. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and wore a serious expression on his face. "Were you able to get a hold of Kanji?"

I nodded proudly. "Yup! But, Chie-chan said she can't make it..."

"I tried to tell you that before you hung up..." Yuki-chan said with a sigh. "Hopefully we won't need her help with this, since I'm not sure when exactly she'll have the time to go exploring in the TV world."

"Eheheh..." I rubbed the back of my head; guess I HAD gotten a little overexcited there.

The next voice I heard was totally unfamiliar, and seemed to come from someone as young as Nana-chan was when I first met her. "Mommy! Mommy! Look! The Junes mascot just came out of the TV! He was all, like, swoosh, and rolled right into the wall!" A young boy was trying to imitate my masterful rolling motion while still standing, before breaking out into laughter.

"Hush, Yoshio!" An older woman, maybe his mom, scolded him.

"Mister! How'd you do that?" Yoshio continued, ignoring his mom and running up to me.

"Hee hee...A bear never tells," I replied with a wink. "Here, have a balloon." I reached around behind me and pulled out a multicolored balloon made to look like yours truly.

"Wow, thanks, Mister!" The boy beamed as he took it; I've gotta say, as far as my handiwork is concerned, that may have been one of my best pieces yet! You could practically see the individual tufts of Teddie fur shooting off the back of its head.

"Yes, thank you," his mother said as she grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. "Come on, Yoshio, we need to get all our shopping done before Dad comes home..."

"Ah, it sure feels good to make people happy," I said as I dusted my hands together. "Mission accomplished!"

"Um...Someone saw you come out of the TV? Yosuke's not gonna like dealing with that..." I heard Sensei mumble. "And how exactly did you make that balloon appear out of thin air like that, anyway?"

"Don't you remember, Sensei?" I asked as I turned back to face him. "Kamui-Moshiri can help with stuff like that. You know, bringing items both big and small into existence in this world."

"I...guess that makes sense," Yuki-chan said as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "After all, Teddie did grow himself a human body on his own...er, human-ish, anyway."

Yuki-chan's lovely musing about moi was interrupted by the sounds of heavy boots and crashing display stands. "Sounds like I'll be forced to work late tonight..." I sighed.

"S-Sorry I'm late!" Kanji shouted out as he ran towards Sensei and almost crashed into li'l old me. He had gone back to bleaching his hair blonde and spiking it every which way since the last time I saw him, it seemed. "I couldn't find my shield so I had to, uh...improvise." He held up a metallic gray folding chair and grinned sheepishly.

"Couldn't find your shield?" Sensei repeated.

"Well, yeah. The shop's been a mess since we started remodeling last week. Phew..." Kanji wiped his brow with his free hand. "So I just grabbed one of the chairs that was with all the other handyman, do-it-yourself crap over there and hightailed it to the usual TV here."

"Oh, so it's more of a stepping stool, then?" Yuki-chan asked.

"I don't think that's the real issue here, Yukiko," said Sensei. "So what you're saying is that's Junes property, right, Kanji? Yosuke's not gonna like hearing you took something like that into the TV world...I mean, they won't even let you take merchandise into the bathroom, and a flimsy thing like that chair is gonna be in pretty bad shape if we run into any trouble."

"Stepping stool," Yuki-chan reminded him with a tap on his chest.

"Er..." I could see Kanji's brow sweating bullets before he scowled the way he used to all those years ago. "Th-Tha's not what's important right now, Senpai!"

"I'm not your Senpai anymore," he said, as nonchalant as ever.

"Wh-Whatever! Point is, there are more important things we need to take care of right now! Like saving Nanako-chan!"

"He's right!" I cried out. "Look, there's no one around now, so let's get crack-a-lacking! Into the TV with all of you, go, go, go!" Never mind the protests I was getting from the others (Yuki-chan especially) as I was shoving them all into the same TV I had come out of a few minutes earlier; this was the time for action! I took another quick look around after they had all disappeared into the screen and dove in after a running start myself.

* * *

**Author's Notes: FYI, I'm going to be taking a brief hiatus from focusing on this story so I can work on a Kanji-centric oneshot taking place in this same universe. So stay tuned for that!**


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